December 2008 Posts (12)

Ever take a nap and felt guilty about it afterwards? Ever felt jealous of other countries were napping is expected or even celebrated? Well, embrace the nap! It could improve the quality of your life significantly.

I was always resistant to the idea of napping during the day. I should be getting enough sleep at night; enough so that I could stay awake long enough to fall asleep tired and wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning. If I took a nap in the afternoon, I would be… Continue

Nanotechnology may help extend Italy’s prominence in the world of fashion to include superhero apparel.

That’s because researchers at the Polytechnic University of Turin are developing a carbon nanotube-based material for use in a Spiderman-style suit, which will have the ability to discharge filament that adheres to a range of surfaces.

Led by Professor Nicola Pungo, the research is focused on an adhesive “spider silk” that mimics the tiny elastic hairs called setae that… Continue

Hey, just always found the stars interesting...If anyone wants to let me know on what days to look out in the sky and what to look out for just let me know! You can also tell me(if you know) why so and so happens in space/with the starts/planets/moon.... I love the stars and especially looking out for new and interesting things!
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Connect is gratified: Nearly 800 people showed up Friday for its Most Innovative New Products Awards on Friday. That's a sign that interest in innovation -- and supporting Connect -- hasn't waned despited the recession.

Maria Glod, a Washington Post Staff Writer, has a good overview of the problem in her story for the Washington Post today (). The US has had the same levels of performance as in the mid-1990's. While we may want to point out that the US gets a lot of Nobel Prizes, perhaps reflecting some creativity, we cannot deny that our youth have a reduced basic knowledge of the facts.… Continue

Sapphire Energy, a San Diego biotech company, may have the answer to the impending oil crisis: Renewable Green Crude Oil. To learn more read the MySDscience original story: Will the Energy Crisis Disappear in a Sapphire Blaze?

A British science teacher, Alom Shaha, has started an online project called "Why is Science Important?" at www.whyscience.co.uk. The site is a "collective blog" which features video, audio and written responses to the question "why is science important?" from scientists, science teachers, public figures and members of the public. The aim of the project is to provide a… Continue

Science reporters are the intermediary between the experts and the general public. In most cases, our task is clear: Learn what the experts say about a particular topic or discovery and accurately explain it to the public in plain English.

But that mission becomes a lot more tricky when the experts themselves disagree on an issue. We're then faced with the difficult job of umpire -- and umpires at least are trained experts in baseball. Science reporters are not, cannot, be experts in… Continue

The findings in humans and the fruit fly Drosophila point the way toward using fruit fly genetics to shed light on human heart disease, according to the study, published in Proceedings of National Academy of…Continue

The New York Times reported today on San Diego's Dr. Sara Mednick, a associate professor at UCSD. In her study, performance was assessed after three interventions: a nap, 200mgs of caffeine, or a placebo. The results: performance in motor and verbal tasks improved by napping, but not caffeine.
So while you may feel like you are typing faster after a cup of coffee, you are making more mistakes, too.

I want to add my congratulations to the SDSF organizers and thanks to the San Diego biotech community for supporting the first San Diego Science Festival. With the newly reported support from Gen-Probe (http://freshnews.com/news/other-tech-areas/article_46872.html), the Festival looks to be well on its way to be an excellent event for all San Diegans. I'm excited for San Diego students to have this opportunity and exposure to science and technology.